Tire tools, i.e. tire irons for removing tires from rims are widely known and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,344,704-E. G. Krantz and 2,311,789-I. M. Taylor. A currently used tire iron for removing tubeless truck tires from wheel rims is shown in FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) -prior art. This tire iron is made from steel bar stock and is forged to shape and bent at its opposite forge-tapered ends and also grooved to receive and be joined by welding to a steel separate steel cross-piece bar. A tab is also welded adjacent a tapered end of the tire iron. These welded elements are very useful in tire removal situations as is well known, e.g. as locating/pounding and lever bearing surfaces. However, the use of both the forging and welding operations in fabricating the tire iron is time consuming and expensive and results in a non-homogeneous implement which has various differences in mechanical properties, some of which are introduced by the welding technique employed, requiring additional inspection and handling.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tire iron which is structurally homogeneous and in the form of a single hot worked integral tire iron tool.